


We'll Paint by Numbers 'til Something Sticks

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-12
Updated: 2013-04-12
Packaged: 2017-12-08 06:34:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/758205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>written for <a href="http://soundingawkward.livejournal.com/11809.html?thread=73505#t73505">this</a> prompt in the tomlinshaw ficathon</p>
            </blockquote>





	We'll Paint by Numbers 'til Something Sticks

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me on [tumblr](http://becauselouis.tumblr.com)

“Aaand next up on the line we have Harry Styles. Hello Harry, you alright?”

“You know your show finished half an hour ago right?” Nick grinned as Harry’s voice rumbled down the line, he could practically feel the younger boy rolling his eyes.

“I’m perfectly aware. Now what do you want, Harold? I’m very busy and important.”

Finchy snorted loudly from where he was seated at desk. Nick made a mental note to kick him later.

“Just checking that your still coming round for dinner later? At this point it looks like it’ll just be me and Lou, but you should still come anyway.”

Nick hummed, weighing up his options - Friday night spent alone in his flat, most likely watching reruns of the Great British Bake-off, or Friday night spent in the company of one Harry Styles. Oh and also his twinky band mate Louis who absolutely despised Nick and it wasn’t exactly a one sided thing.

“I don’t know.”

Harry whined loudly, no doubt stomping his foot along with it like the child he was. “Come on, Grimmy. Louis’ promised he’ll be on his best behaviour tonight.”

“So no food fights then?” Nick asked pettily and probably in hindsight a little unfairly, if Louis had promised to behave Nick could certainly be civil for one night. Surely it couldn’t be that hard, even if the thought of the obnoxious little thing did make Nick’s blood boil.

“Grimmy.” Harry’s tone had a slight edge to it and really Nick knew better by now than to insult Louis to Harry.

“Alright, fine. I’ll bring some wine shall I?”

“Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll see you tonight.”

Harry hung up before Nick could get another word in.

 

That night Nick found himself standing outside Harry’s giant house, a bottle of wine clutched in his cold fingers.

He knocked on the door, only having to wait a few moments before it was swung open and Nick was greeted by none other than Louis Tomlinson, decked out in a pair of blue plaid pyjama pants and a grey tshirt that hugged around his abs and tummy deliciously.

“Hello Nick.” Louis greeted, not exactly enthusiastically but, in comparison to greetings Nick had received in the past, not all that horrid either.

“Alright, Louis?” Nick asked, stepping inside and swinging the door shut behind him before he began removing his jacket and scarf, no longer needed inside Harry’s warm house.

“Harry’s in the kitchen.” Louis replied shortly, turning on his heel and padding his way down the hall towards Harry’s extravagant kitchen where Nick could already smell something delicious brewing. He rolled his eyes, not entirely surprised by Louis’ abruptness, he had already gotten a civil hello which for the two of them was rather pushing it.

After kicking his shoes off he made to follow the shorter boy to the kitchen where he greeted Harry loudly with a smacking kiss on the cheek before presenting him with the bottle of wine still clutched in his hand.

“Thanks Grimmy.” Harry smiled, humming happily under his breath as he stirred the risotto that was simmering on the stove. “Lou, be a dear and get some wine glasses out would you?”

Louis twisted his body around from where he was seated cross legged on the counter and reached into the cupboard just to his right, procuring three wine glasses and handed them off to Nick with disinterest.

Nick fought against the urge to roll his eyes at the younger boy's childish behaviour as he poured some wine into each glass. Louis on his best behaviour apparently wasn’t all that different to normal Louis, just a lot quieter.

He passed off a glass to Harry, who accepted it gratefully, taking a sip before placing it on the bench top so he could finish off dinner. Nick left Louis’ glass sitting just out of the other boys reach and let out a pleased little smirk when Louis huffed and heaved himself off of the bench to collect his glass.

“Thanks, Nick.” He drawled out sarcastically, little fingers clasping around the glass as he took a sip. “God this is awful, are you too pretentious to drink good wine, Nick? Is it too mainstream for you?”

Nick really couldn’t suppress the eye roll that time, but he managed to ignore Louis’ jibes instead settling for, “You do know no one actually calls me Nick, right?”

Louis cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Everyone calls me Grimmy? Even my mum.”

“What and you want me to do the same?” Louis rested a hand on his hip, popping it out to the side. Nick imagined that if he had been chewing gum, he would have started blowing bubbles in Nick’s face.

“Well I don’t see why not.” He commented mildly, purposely avoiding looking at Louis and instead swirling the wine around his glass.

“Grimmy’s a stupid name, I refuse to use it.”

Nick squawked, opening his mouth to retaliate when Harry cut in between them, three plates of risotto balanced precariously on his arm.

“Dinner.” He chirped, placing the plates down on the table and gestured for everyone to sit. “More drinks? Refills? Anyone?”

“Got anything other than this shit?” Louis glared disdainfully at the wine Nick had bought.

“He’s right, Harold. I’m definitely going to need something harder.”

Louis’ glare moved from the wine glass to Nick, who returned the stare with equal distaste.

Harry looked mildly distressed at their antics but none the less went and pulled three bottles of beer out the fridge.

And it all went to shit from there.

 

Nick was _drunk_. Drunk was an understatement, really, because Nick was trashed.

Their whole dinner was spent with Harry trying to play peace keeper whilst Nick and Louis exchanged bitchy comments, angry gazes barely leaving each other as they downed drink after drink in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of show of manliness.

Nick didn’t really know anymore, he’d started to get confused after beer number 3 but refused to back down and let the annoying little twink win.

Poor Harry was practically beside himself when both Nick and Louis slammed their seventh bottle each down on the table, glowering at one another.

“Come on, guys. I think that’s enough.”

“Yeah, Nick. Need to take it slow in your old age.” Louis said, sassing Nick with his eyebrows.

“Louis.” Harry slammed his own drink down on the table, glaring at both Nick and Louis in turn, then sighed, his shoulders slumping tiredly.

“Go upstairs, Lou. I’ll join you in a minute. C’mon Nick, I’ll walk you out.”

They rose from the table, Louis brushing his hand against Harry’s back with a small “sorry Haz” as he passed, Harry managing a small smile in return.

“Sorry about him.” He apologized while Nick pulled his coat back on. He looked tired and a bit sad and honestly Nick felt bad for he and Louis ruining Harry’s night.

“’s alright. I wasn’t exactly a model of good behaviour. I’m sorry too, for what it’s worth.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, mate.” Harry wrapped Nick up in a quick hug, kissing him on the cheek before letting go. “Should have known better. I just really wish the two of you would get along.”

Nick’s heart ached a little at the fact that he and Louis had made Harry so sad. He could understand why Harry was so desperate for his two best friends to get along, it was just that Louis infuriated Nick so much he wasn’t sure it was possible.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, yeah?”

Harry nodded, bidding his final goodbye and Nick was off, hailing down a taxi and arriving back at his flat just after midnight.

Drunk, and cold and wet from London’s incessant rain, Nick poured himself into bed, barely managing to shuck off his damp clothes before he was out.

It only felt like ten minutes later that he was being woken to loud, shrieking laughter.

 

He can feel his mattress being shuffled around and there’s something cold and wet on his face.

“Lex, off.” He groaned, rolling over and burying his head under his pillow. The giggling that followed was really too much for his pounding head because, as far as he knew, his dog definitely did not know how to giggle.

He slowly peeked out from under the pillow, only to find a girl, no older than four years old, grinning down at him, red paint dripping from her hands and onto Nick’s sheets.

“Erm, hello?”

“Papa!” The girl squealed, jumping on top of Nick and placing a smacking kiss to his cheek, little hands leaving red smears across his face.

“Daddy, Daddy, Papa’s up!” The little girl jumped up from Nick’s lap and barrelled out of the room leaving Nick’s mind spinning.

Papa. Daddy… _What_? Nick was way to hung over for this.

Moments later and the girl was back, barrelling back up on the bed and burying herself in Nick’s side completely mindless of the red paint  she was spreading all over the covers.

She was followed into the room by a man, cooing at a little boy who looked to be about two years old. When he moved his gaze from the boy and onto Nick, Nick froze.

Louis Tomlinson was standing in his bedroom – which looking around Nick realized wasn’t actually his bedroom at all – and there were two children, both of whom appeared to think of him as some sort of father figure, given the girls earlier calls of Papa and the fact that the boy was also calling him the same thing, scrambling madly to try and escape Louis’ clutches.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Nick croaked out weakly, patting the little girl on the head in an attempt to satisfy her pokes for attention. “What is going on?”

“I told you I had the day off today, Nick, so we can take James to get his ear checked. We went over this yesterday morning. How much did you and Harry drink last night, honestly.”

Nick blinked up at him, head whirring.

Louis scoffed, finally receding his hold on the boy (James, he corrected himself) and letting him scramble up onto Nick next to the little girl who was currently being scolded by Louis.

“Ava, come here right now. Look at the mess you’ve made.”

The little girl, Ava, peered up at Louis with wide eyes, water beginning to brim around the edges.

“Oh, sweetie, no don’t cry. Daddy’s sorry for snapping.” 

Nick watched Louis scoop Ava up into his arms, bouncing her on his hip, cooing at her until she stopped fussing and instead grinned up at Louis adoringly.

He had to admit, Louis was quite good at this.

“Nick, get up and finish up James’s breakfast so I can clean up after Ava. Honestly, I told you not to buy her those bloody paints for Christmas, but _no_ , you know everything.”

Louis turned on his heel, carrying the giggling girl from the room, muttering under his breath about making Nick clean the mess up himself.

Nick stared after him, continuing to gape long after Louis had disappeared from his line of sight.

He rubbed at his temples, his head throbbing as he surveyed the strange room, eyes latching onto a glass of water and two paracetamol someone, Louis apparently, had left on the bedside table.

He downed the tablets and water in one go and flopped back down on the bed. He was midway through trying to figure out what the hell was going on with his life when he felt a small fist collide with his chest and let out a soft puff of air.

Turning his head, he was reminded that Louis had left him with James.

“Papa.” The boy gurgled, grinning happily at Nick as he rolled around on the mattress next to him.

Nick felt himself smile fondly at the little boy. He may not know what’s going on right now – in fact he may be having the strangest dream of his life (married to Louis, really?) but he had to admit, the two of them sure did have cute kids.

“I suppose you’re hungry, then?” He asked, reaching over to gently tickle the toddler who squealed in delight.

“Hungee!”

Right then. He heaved himself out of bed, pulling on the first pair of pants he found on the floor – a pair of grey trackies – then lifted James up into his grasp, failing to avoid the little boy's flailing arms.

He stepped out into the hallway of the foreign house, looking up and down the hallway for any hint to which way the kitchen may be. He was greeted only with the sight of closed doors.

“Papa.” James huffed in his arms, impatience beginning to shine through, little arms folded across his chest. In that moment Nick was reminded so much of Louis that he almost had another mental breakdown because _how_ he had ended up here.

Recovering just as James was about to let out another whine, Nick carefully set the little boy down on his feet, James looking up at him confused.

“Bweakfast?” The boy asked, gazing up at Nick with a wide eyed pout.

Nick crouched down so he was at James’s level and gently cupped his large hands over the boy's shoulders.

“How about you race me there?” He grinned as the little boy's face lit up with excitement and then turned and took off down the hall, Nick following close behind making sure he didn’t fall and hurt himself.

When he entered the kitchen, hot on James’s heels, Nick found Louis on his hands and knees scrubbing at some rather large splotches of red and blue and green handprints that were spaced evenly all over the kitchen.

Ava was seated at the table, drawing a picture of what appeared to be their family and was currently shading Louis’ pants with a violently red crayon.

James ran over to Louis, pouncing on the man’s back, crowing happily. “Dada, Papa race, me win.” 

“Good job, buddy.” Louis extracted the excitable toddler from his back and placed him in the high chair at the end of the table, with a kiss to the head. “Your Papa’s getting a bit slow in his old age.”

The two children giggled at the comment and Louis smiled at Nick, eyes shining with happiness and a bit of mischief.

Louis abandoned his attempts at scrubbing the floor clean and placed a bowl of porridge that was waiting on the bench down in front of James along with a spoon before crossing the kitchen and standing on his tiptoes to plant a kiss on Nick’s lips.

Nick froze, stunned and completely unsure of what he was doing right now.

“Sorry I snapped at you before.” Louis fell back to his normal height, arms wrapped secure around Nick’s middle as he smiled up at Nick, suddenly looking a little tired. “I’ve just been busy running around after these two all morning and I didn’t want to wake you because I knew you’d be hung over, but they’ve just been causing so much trouble. I mean, it’s only 8 o’clock but I am already _so_ tired.”

Louis crowded in closer to Nick, burying his face in Nick’s chest. Nick could now see James flinging his food across the table at Ava who was shamelessly provoking him behind Louis’ back. He felt like he should say something but he was just so confused because kids and Louis and Louis actually being civil with him and _kissing_ him for god’s sake.

Really it was all too much for Nick to process.

Eventually Louis realized that Nick was kind of frozen in his grip and he lifted his head, peering up at Nick curiously.

“Nick, babe, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Nick squawked. He could think of a million bloody things that were wrong, the least of which was the fact that he apparently actually didn’t mind kissing Louis Tomlinson and having two children with him.

“Is your head still hurting? I’ll make you some tea.”

Louis unwound himself from around Nick and set the kettle on, finally noticing the mess the two children had been making behind his back.

“James! Ava! Stop that this instant. Jesus, Nick why didn’t you say something? You bloody well know they’re not allowed to throw their food around.”

Nick was still frozen in the same spot, everything finally catching up with him so suddenly he was afraid his head was going to explode.

“Louis.” He muttered weakly. Nick was not one for fainting but if he was he would definitely be on the floor right now.

Louis must have heard the desperation in Nick’s voice because he stopped fussing over James who had managed to upheave the leftover contents of his bowl all down his front and instead went back over to Nick, wrapping himself around him once more.

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

Louis’ face was full of concern, his voice gentle and sincere and it was all too much for Nick.

“I don’t understand.” He croaked out, gesturing wildly around the kitchen, gaining the attention of both their rowdy children. “We hate each other. What is going on right now? Is this some sort of elaborate prank, because this is low even for you, Tomlinson.”

Louis’ eyes narrowed and he stepped back, arms folding across his chest.

“I know what this is about.”

“Well please enlighten me, because I am _so_ goddamn confused right now it’s not funny.”

 “You’re still drunk.” Louis accused.

Nick squawked. “No I’m not.”

“Yes you are. Bloody hell, Nick. You know I have absolutely no problem with you and Harry going out and drinking and doing whatever it is that you two do together but honestly if you’re going to get so trashed that you’re still off your fu – “ he paused remembering the two children who were now watching with rapt interest. “fudging face, you may as well not come home, just stay with Harry until you’ve recovered because I already have two children to take care of, Nick. I do not need three.”

Louis fixed him with one more scathing glare and for a moment Nick felt like everything could almost be back to normal.

He then walked away from Nick, scooping James up from his high chair in one arm and Ava in the other, then walked made his way out of the kitchen.

“I’m going to bathe these two. Try and pull yourself together, Nicholas.”

As Louis made his way from the room, their two kids dangling off either hip, Nick heard Ava ask, “Why are you mad at Papa, Daddy?”

Louis’ reply muffled as he walked further and further from the kitchen.

Nick collapsed down at the table, head in his hands, mind reeling.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. A message from Matt Fincham stared back at him, but honestly, Nick could not deal with work and Finchy right now, so he ignored it in favour of pulling up Harry’s number and listened to the dial tone ring out through the kitchen.

The ringing kept going and Nick was just about to hang up and try again when the line clicked, a disgruntled voice rumbling through the line. “’lo?”

“Harry?” Nick practically yelled down the line, relief flooding through him. Harry would clear things up surely.

“Nah, mate, Niall.” The voice replied and Nick could now hear the Irish accent coming through.

“Niall? Why’re you answering Harry’s phone?”

“Yeah, good joke mate.” Niall snorted, followed by a shuffling noise and then a muffled ‘Haz, babe, wake up’ from Niall’s end of the phone.

After a few moments of some suspicious, wet smacking noises (was Niall really kissing Harry, bloody hell what was the world coming too), the phone was passed over, Harry’s low voice grumbling down the line.

“What d’you want?”

“Haz. Thank god.”

“Grimmy? What’s wrong?”

Harry’s question opened up the floodgates and Nick found himself gushing out about waking up in a strange home, with children that were apparently his and a husband, Louis, who the last time he saw he hated but now apparently had two kids with and “Harry you really, really need to tell me what is going on because I think I’m losing my mind.”

There was a long stretch of silence and Nick was beginning to think Harry had fallen asleep halfway through his breakdown.

“Harry?”

“Grimmy, mate, I think you’re still drunk.”

“I am not still drunk! Louis said exactly the same thing but I am not kidding, Harold. One minute I’m coming home after a disastrous dinner at yours where Louis would not stop bitching at me and the next I’m waking up married to the little shit with two children.”

“Did you hit your head?”

“NO!” Nick almost threw his phone across the room in frustration. “I’m not drunk, I haven’t hit my head, I just really need you to tell me what’s going on. And why is Niall in your bed answering your phone?”

“Jesus, mate, you really have lost it haven’t you.”

“You are the world’s most unhelpful friend.”

“Listen up, Grimmy, because I think you probably did just hit your head and you just don’t remember. You and Louis are married, have been for 6 years. You are 35 years old not 28. You and Louis started dating a few weeks after that dinner and got married after a year. You have two beautiful children who you love very much and Niall – who has coincidentally been my partner for the past two years – and I will be babysitting them tonight and tomorrow for your anniversary. Have I missed anything?”

Nick’s head was reeling as he tried to process everything Harry had just relayed to him.

“Um, you don’t by chance happen to know what I was planning do you? Just, even this Louis who is apparently very much in love with me, he still scares the crap out of me, Styles.”

Harry snorted. “You’re having a quiet day in, you’ll be making him dinner and you planned on decking out the living room with candles as well as your blankets and pillows where you were then going to agree to watch all of Louis’ favourite moves, but no doubt you’ll probably get a bit of a grope in first. Now if you’re over your mental breakdown, I’m going to have sex with Niall now.”

There was a click, followed by the dial tone again and Nick placed his phone down on the table. He just had to get through the day, then Harry and Niall would take the kids and then he could talk to Louis and try and sort this whole thing out.

 

Their day was hectic. Louis, for the most part, seemed to have forgiven him for being ‘drunk’ that morning and the two spent the day chasing the kids around the house and then around the doctor’s office and then around a McDonalds playground, which the two were absolutely determined not to leave.

Eventually they managed to bundle up James and Ava in their coats and into the car to make their way back home.

Louis pulled the car up into the drive way and they were greeted with the sight of Harry, perched on their front door step, waiting for them to arrive.

“Uncle Harry!” Ava squealed from the back seat, squirming around impatiently as Louis tried to unbuckle her.

Nick was left with the easier task of unbuckling James who was a lot calmer in his excitement.

Once the kids were free they barrelled up the drive way, jumping on top of Harry, laughing delightedly as Harry swung them both up into his arms, kissing their cheeks and twirling them around in the air.

“Hey, Hazza.” Louis greeted, ushering Harry and the screaming children through the door and plucked James out of his best friends arms, helping the boy remove his shoes and coat while Harry did the same for Ava.

“Hi, Lou. Nick, feeling better?”

Nick shrugged and made his way towards where he had discovered their living room to be, throwing himself tiredly onto the couch.

“Having children is hard work.”

“Just figuring that out now are you, love?” Louis rolled his eyes, trailing after the two kids who had taken off in the direction of the study.

Harry plopped down on the couch next to Nick. “So have you remembered that you love him yet?”

Nick shrugged, making a vague noise. “I dunno, I mean I definitely don’t remember anything about our marriage or how we got together or anything, but it’s not all bad. Like, I think I definitely can feel something for him and not just the blind hatred from before.”

“Well, it’s a start. Just maybe don’t mention that you can’t remember loving him to him, you know he’s a little insecure. Or well actually you probably don’t – well you do now.”

“Alright, Harold, don’t think too hard. Wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.”

Harry shoved at Nick’s shoulder, grinning all the while. “Whatever. Anyway, I’m going to take your children now so you can spend the night remembering why it is that our Lou is so wonderful. Kids time to go!”

Harry’s shout was followed by Ava stampeding down the stairs, Louis following close behind, two brightly coloured backpacks slung over one shoulder, James rested against the opposite hip.

“Say goodbye to your Daddy and Papa.”

Nick got up off the couch, making his way over to where his children were, Ava waiting patiently, arms in the air, for Nick to lift her.

As he swung Ava up into his arms and pressed kisses all over the giggling girls face, Nick thought that even though he couldn’t remember everything about his kids – how he and Louis got them, their first words, their first steps – he sure did love them a whole lot already.

He swapped Ava for James, kissing the young boy goodnight as well then transferred him into his Uncle Harry’s arms, the young boy gurgling happily as he pulled at Harry’s curls.

“You behave for your Uncle Harry, you two.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Ava agreed, clutching onto Harry’s hands and waving goodbye to her fathers as Harry led them out to his car and strapped them both in.

They waved until the car was well up the street, then made their way back in the house, Nick collapsing on the couch once more, Louis joining him this time.

“Are you feeling better?” Louis asked, curled up in Nick’s side, hand rested on Nick’s thigh, thumb stroking gently at the inner seam of Nick’s jeans.

Nick turned his head and looked into Louis’ eyes. He had never realized just how expressive the boys orbs could be when they were projecting something other than blind hatred.

They were filled with concern, and fondness, and love. They were also tired and maybe even a little sad.

Nick thought over how he had been acting that day. He had been so wound up in his own confusion that he hadn’t spared a thought for how his actions would be affecting Louis. He may not remember marrying the younger lad, but he had which meant that they obviously loved one another and, looking in Louis’ eyes, it was easy to see that they did.

Nick nodded, his chest felt a little tight with some feeling he couldn’t quite identify, but he also felt fond and proud to be married to a man who obviously loved and cared about him so much and was so fantastic with their children.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so out of it today. I guess maybe I was a little drunk still.”

Nick had mulled over what Harry had told him and decided to just play along with what Louis had thought, rather than worry him and fill him with fear and doubt.

“I’m sorry I yelled.” Louis’ voice was barely above a whisper as he gazed up at Nick with his shining blue eyes.

In that moment Nick felt so compelled that he absolutely couldn’t not say it. “I love you.”

Louis smiled tiredly. “I love you, too. Now let’s go to bed.”

Nick groaned in relief and allowed himself to be pulled off of the couch and up to their bedroom, where Louis curled up in his side, so comfortably and such a perfect fit that Nick wondered how he hadn’t seen it all along.

As he drifted off to sleep, he thought to himself that this was definitely a life he could get used too, and really, there were worse situations he could have found himself in.

 

The next morning he woke up alone, the other side of his bed cold and empty. He opened his eyes and found he was back in his old bedroom, the date on his clock reading 2013 once more.

Well, he guessed that was all just an extremely vivid dream then.

He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

He pulled himself out of bed and managed to drag himself through his day and then his week and then another week after that.

Harry and the One Direction boys had been off in some other country (Nick can’t keep up with their travels), so he hadn’t seen Harry and in turn Louis since before his whole dream-thing had happened.

So when he did wind up at Harry’s home when the boys had returned from Germany (or so Harry had told him) and found himself greeted by a tired looking Louis Tomlinson, there was only one thing Nick could think to do.

And that was grab Louis by the waist and haul him into a hard and messy kiss. Louis frozen at first in complete and utter confusion, but eventually he melted into it, arms winding up around Nick’s neck, kissing Nick back with a delicious fervour.

When they finally pulled apart, panting heavily, Louis gaped up at him. 

“What – “ he began before Nick cut him off.

“I’m taking you on a date, Louis Tomlinson. A real date, with candle lit dinner and actually conversation where you’re not just sniping at me and there will be no arguments. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. We are going on a date.”

Louis’ eyebrows furrowed, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to make sense of the situation. Eventually he managed to close his mouth and swallowed hard.

“Alright then.” His voice sounded a little shaky and he looked so adorably confused that Nick had to lean down and give him another kiss – gentle this time, short but sweet.

He pulled back and shucked off his coat hanging it over the hook. “Harry’s in the kitchen then?”

Louis nodded dumbly and Nick grabbed at Louis’ hand, pulling him down the corridor before the younger boy could protest.

 

Being married and having children with Louis may have all been a very vivid dream conjured up by Nick’s imagination, but now that Nick had had it once, he was determined that he was going to make it happen for real and he was confident that Louis would catch up eventually. 

 


End file.
